


Big Red

by Biblionerd



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: F/M, Fake AH Crew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-17
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-08-15 11:28:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8054542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Biblionerd/pseuds/Biblionerd
Summary: The Fake AH Crew was one of the most powerful gangs in Los Santos. They had their hands in every pot, from drugs to guns to straight up robbery. Very little criminal activity happened in their city without their input.And if you want to talk to the Fake AH, you have to go through Big Red.*****Jeremy had a thing for Lindsay, his boss within the Fake AH Crew. She was powerful, beautiful and ruthless. When he joins the main crew, suddenly they're on the same level, and his crush might not be unrequited after all.





	Big Red

The Fake AH Crew was one of the most powerful gangs in Los Santos. They had their hands in every pot, from drugs to guns to straight up robbery. Very little criminal activity happened in their city without their input.

And if you want to talk to the Fake AH, you have to go through Big Red.

She had started out in the Roosters crew in San Andreas, and had become kind of a liaison between the Roosters and the Fake AH when they moved to Los Santos. Her role had morphed to more of a liaison between the Fake AH and everyone else. She controlled access and brokered deals, and led her own crew of enforcers to deal with problems too small to send the main crew. She left a wrapper from Big Red gum as a signature so they’d know who they pissed off, and who to look over their shoulders for in the future.

Jeremy had started out as muscle in one of the smaller gangs the Fake AH tolerated running certain neighbourhoods. He’d managed to get in as one of Big Red’s bodyguards, and learned her real name was Lindsay. The nick name was based more on her gum preference than her red hair, but it all fit.

He was fascinated by her. She was powerful and a little scary at times, but she was also a music nerd, and loved cats and played pranks on her friends. When she wasn’t turning heads and making knees tremble she had a favourite well-worn pusheen hoodie she practically lived in, and a matching plushie she kept in her apartment.

Jeremy wasn’t the only one who found her fascinating, but he watched her turn down every person brave enough to make a move. She said no to them all, from the people who wanted her to crush them under her heel to the ones who thought they could be the ones to put her in her place (she was a bit more vindictive about telling those ones where they could stick it). He knew she and Michael had been a thing in the past, (occasionally still were, judging from the times Lindsay had asked him to meet her at the penthouse in the early morning), but ultimately Michael was part of the confusing-from-the-outside, tight knit but open relationship thing that was the main Fake AH Crew. 

He knew there was no chance she would look twice at him as anything other than a colleague and maybe a friend, so he tried his best to put away that little piece of his heart. Jeremy did his job, and did it well, no matter the torch he was carrying for Big Red.

Jeremy’s dedication did not go unnoticed. When Ray left to pursue freelance work, there was a hole in the crew, and a free bedroom in the penthouse. A lot of people thought Geoff would offer the spot to Lindsay, but she was too useful where she was, as a fixer and a contact point outside the crew proper, as well as running her own side jobs. Geoff did have her join them when they needed a sixth, but he also pulled some of the other periphery members in to fill the empty spot in a rotation of sorts.

No one was more surprised than Jeremy when Geoff tossed him a set of keys after one of their more successful heists. “What’s this?” he asked.

“Well, they’re called _keys_ ,” Geoff explained slowly. “They are used to open locked things without needing to use a lockpick.”

“Or a shotgun,” Michael chimed in.

“Well, yeah, but what are they for?” Jeremy replied, trying desperately not to get his hopes up.

“The penthouse, dummy,” Gavin supplied, throwing an arm around his shoulders. “You’re in, Lil J!”

“I’m-” Jeremy’s voice cracked. “I’m in? Really?”

“Well not if you don’t want it, dude,” Geoff said, reaching as if to take the keys back. Jeremy snatched his hand back and cradled the keys close to his chest. He looked up and met Lindsay’s eyes, and she smiled at him.

“Guess this means I’ll need to find someone more reliable for my crew,” Lindsay commented wryly, approaching Jeremy to give him a hug. “Congrats, really, Jeremy. Couldn’t have happened to a better guy.”

Jeremy got handshakes, fist bumps and pats on the back from the rest of the assembled crew. “So, who wants to come help pack up my apartment?” he asked. 

Suddenly everyone was very busy.

Lindsay sighed. “I guess you’re still my responsibility until you’re under this roof,” Lindsay said, throwing an arm around Jeremy’s shoulders. “I’ll help you pack up your stuff.”

*****

Jeremy collapsed onto the couch next to Ryan, his legs over the arm and his head next to the other man’s hip. “All done?” Ryan asked lamely, peering down at him.

“Well, everything I wanted to move over here is,” Jeremy replied. “Still got furniture and shit at my old place.”

“Keep it there,” Jack advised. “Always nice to have another place to crash, just in case.”

Jeremy nodded, the movement awkward from his position laying on his back. “I’ll do that then.”

“Well gents, it’s been real, but I have better things to do,” Lindsay said, slipping her red leather jacket on over her shoulders. She pulled a packet of her signature gum out and unwrapped a stick.

“Hey, can I have a piece of Big Red?” Jeremy asked from the couch, smirking. Lindsay paused and quirked an eyebrow at him.

“The gum?” she clarified.

Jeremy grinned back at her, “If that's what’s on offer.” He managed to keep the nervous shake out of his voice, which he was proud of, but he missed the piece of gum she threw at his head. 

The gum fell to the ground beside the couch he was on, and Jeremy groaned. Rather than doing the logical thing and sitting up, he slid over the side to reach for it, extending his arm and over balancing. He nearly slid all the way off and onto the floor in a graceless heap, but his childhood as a gymnast served him well and he twisted as he fell, his arms braced underneath him. He did a couple of pushups to prove that he had totally meant to do that. Someone let out a low wolf whistle.

When he stood to regard the room, he found the inhabitants staring at him in a way that made him slightly nervous. 

Lindsay cleared her throat. “Now I feel like I’ve just delivered a sheep into a wolf’s den,” she said wryly. “Geoff, I am trusting you not to break him.” She spun on her heel and was out the door.

Jeremy watched her leave and stared at the closed door for several beats, not wanting to face the rest of the room just yet. 

“I’m not Ray,” his voice was low, but the silence in the common area of the penthouse allowed his voice to carry.

“We know,” Geoff agreed. 

“Yeah, you’re not nearly as skinny,” Michael joked. His triumphant grin at landing a joke dulled somewhat when Geoff shot him a look.

“I’m just...I want to be part of the crew, you know that. But I’m not gonna just take Ray’s place in the whole...relationship thing,” Jeremy choked out the words, his face flushing slightly at the awkwardness of it all.

Gavin approached and slung his arm around Jeremy’s shoulders. “We wouldn’t expect that, Lil’ J,” he assured the shorter man. “You’re your own man.”

Geoff nodded. “Nobody is expecting you to jump into this shitstorm,” he added.

Jeremy heaved a sigh of relief, his breath shaking. “Kay. I didn’t think you’d try and strong arm me or anything, but I didn’t want to have to move my shit out right after I got settled.”

“Naw, man, we wouldn’t do that to you,” Ryan said. “I mean, I don’t think any of us would kick you outta bed for eating crackers…” he trailed off, smiling at Jeremy to assure him it was all in good fun.

Jeremy smiled back, tension melting out of his shoulders. He sat back down on the couch, relaxing back into the soft cushions. “I’m not saying never,” Jeremy clarified.

“Ooh!” Gavin squawked. “20 quid says Ryan’s first!”

“Naw,” Michael insisted. “Jeremy’s a company man. Twenty bucks on Geoff.”

“Rather short sighted of you to think it’ll just be one of us,” Jack said. “My money’s on a threesome.”

“But with who, Jack?” Gavin demanded. “You can’t just say a number.”

Geoff was watching Jeremy’s face closely throughout the exchange. Embarrassment at being discussed in this manner was pinking his cheeks again, but he wasn’t flushing as expected if they were on the right track. Several things started to slide in place.

“You’re all wrong,” Geoff cut in, his voice carrying above the squabble, which quieted as they all turned to their boss. “I think Jeremy’s got somebody special, and it’s not on any of you ugly motherfuckers.”

There, the heat rose in Jeremy’s face, and his eyes widened. 

“Ooh, Little J already has somebody on the side?” Michael teased. “You fuckin someone we don’t know about, Jeremy?”

“No no,” Jeremy said quickly. “Just Miss Rosie and her five friends.” He wiggled his fingers, and shot a glance at Geoff, trying to read his boss’s face. Geoff raised an eyebrow in challenge. “It’s never going to happen, boss. Let me get over my little crush.”

*****

Geoff had let the subject drop, but Jeremy knew he wasn’t going to get off without some kind of interference. He was on alert for a week but began to stand down as he got into the rhythm of living and working with the crew. 

They were all adjusting to their new regular roles on jobs, to a new person in the house, and the shift in dynamics. Jeremy was used to working with the guys, but being a part of the main crew took away some of that desperate “I will do anything to make you guys like me” attitude he had held previously. He took his lumps, the shitty assignments, bullets “accidently” whizzing by his head. It was all good natured, and Jeremy gave as good as he got. He was _in_.

He had honestly forgotten that Geoff had figured out his thing for Lindsay until a few weeks later. 

“Tuggey, I’m gonna need to do a pick up for me, got some product coming in from outta state and the seller is gettin a bit too big for his britches. Care to take him down a peg?” Geoff offered. Lindsay nodded. “Take Lil J there for backup, you’ll need the muscle if he gets testy.”

“Sure thing, boss,” Lindsay chirped.

Geoff looked at Gavin. “I love it when they call me boss,” he confessed.

Their planning finished, everyone stood up from the table and went to complete their assignments.

“Sorry, J, looks like you’ve been bumped back down to the minors for now!” Lindsay joked, waving him to accompany her out the door. 

Jeremy followed, shooting a glance back at Geoff, who grinned and gave him a little wave.

As planned, Lindsay and Jeremy arrived early and cleared the warehouse before the supplier arrived, then took up their positions, resting on the hood of Jeremy’s new crew car, a custom Adder with the crew logo on the hood. Years of experience had left them both capable of checking out their phones while staying vigilant. 

When the shiny black SUV pulled into the mostly empty warehouse floor, the layer of dust on the ground kicked up in a cloud behind it, Lindsay and Jeremy put their phones away and stepped away from the car.

“Well well well,” the man who seemed to be in charge of the other two sauntered slowly into the open space between the cars. “I see Ramsey’s finally let you join the club then? Can’t resist flaunting it on your wheels?”

Lindsay glanced behind her at Jeremy’s emblazoned vehicle. Turning back to the dealers, she scoffed. “Wheel’s aren’t mine,” she explained. Hooking a thumb at Jeremy, who stood just behind her to her right, she added, “Lil J joined up a few weeks ago.”

The dealer hissed. “Ooh, that’s gotta smart!” he mock-sympathized. “Your lackey getting promoted over your head? You should try maybe letting him in the back door or something, maybe Ramsey’d let you in then?”

Jeremy stepped toward the guy but Lindsay put out her arm to stall him. “Oh please,” she said, rolling her eyes dramatically. “Geoff’s been asking me to join the main crew for years. I like where I am. Leaves me the flexibility to pursue my...other line of business.”

The dealer started howling with laughter, bending in two while the other two with him chucked nervously, obviously unsure of what he found so funny. “ _Other line of business?_ So you really are the Fake’s whore!” he crowed. Looking past Lindsay to Jeremy. “You just waiting for her to finish up with us so you can get your chance to ride the village bicycle here?”

Before either man could move, Lindsay was pressed against the dealer, whose eyes had gone wide as his mouth dropped open silently. Jeremy saw red spreading down his side from where Lindsay’s hand was pressed against his abdomen.

No one had even seen her draw the knife.

The dealer fell to his knees, his hands pressing against the wound just below his ribs, trying to staunch the flow of bright blood that was spreading anyway. Lindsay leaned down to look him in the eye.

“You might know me as Big Red,” she said, pulling a piece of gum out of her pocket casually. “But my other clients call me Ruby.”

Jeremy wasn’t sure the significance of those words, but it made the dealer’s eyes go wide.

Lindsay stuck the gum wrapper in the dealer’s pocket and stepped back, letting him collapse to the floor. One of his lieutenants rushed forward to check on him.

“His liver’s been perforated, but if you get him to medical attention quickly he’ll probably live,” Lindsay commented, seeming almost bored. “Now, I’m gonna have to knock 60% off your asking price for the product, on account of this disrespect.” She pulled out her phone and punched in a few numbers before turning it toward the other lieutenant. He stared at her blankly until she shook the phone at him. “The sooner you put in your routing information the sooner you can get your boss to the ER.”

The men sprang into action, entering the information as requested and pulling three black plastic crates out of the back of the SUV. Jeremy was grateful they had a secure warehouse on the lot, as he couldn’t fit all those crates in his car.

He stood by, crossing his arms as he knew how intimidating he could look, and supervised the dealer’s messy exit.

Once their tail lights were long gone, Lindsay sighed and turned toward him. 

“That was…” Jeremy started.

“Sorry, Jeremy, I know you were supposed to be the muscle but I’ve learned I have to take care of those kinds of rumours myself,” she explained. “I try not to let Ruby interfere with Big Red work, but sometimes its unavoidable.”

Jeremy had hardly heard a word she’d said. “That was so hot,” he said in a rush. He stepped up against her, one strong arm reaching up to cup the back of her neck and pull her down as he stood on tiptoe and pressed his mouth to hers.

He released her and moved away before she had a chance to react, watching her hands out in his peripheral vision after seeing first hand how fast and deadly she could be. Jeremy was just hoping she liked him enough not to end him for one little kiss.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he repeated like a mantra. “I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry-”

“It’s about damn time,” Lindsay interrupted him, dragging the back of her thumb across her bottom lip.

“It’s a- what?!” 

“You’re not exactly subtle,” she said, walking over to the crates and unhooking the straps in order to look over the contents. “I’ve been expecting you to make a move for months.”

“Not- What-?” Jeremy helplessly watched her move around the pile of boxes. “I am _so_ subtle, none of the guys knew!” he fibbed.

“ _None_ , huh?” Lindsay raised an eyebrow, questioning his claim. “Besides, those guys aren’t exactly the most observant bunch, at least when it comes to _other people’s_ interpersonal relationships.”

Jeremy let the words sink in as he watched her pull a white cellophane wrapped brick out of the case and toss it from one hand to the other.

“You know,” she commented. “It’s a good thing that guy needed stabbing, cause I was gonna look like an idiot doing coke for the first time off of his knife.”

*****

“And you cleaned up the warehouse?” Geoff was asking, standing up from the couch he’d been lounging on while listening to their report of what went down at the sale.

“Yeah,” Lindsay assured him, rising to her feet as well. “They took the guy away, none of our blood on scene, and we moved the product to the South Docks warehouse. I’ve got runners set up to distribute it tomorrow.”

“Great, be sure to stagger their arrivals-”

“-so there isn’t a crowd of people showing up looking suspicious. Yes, I know. I’ve done this before,” Lindsay finished for him.

“C’mere,” Geoff said fondly, throwing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her against him, kissing the top of her head. “Glad you’re alright. Now get the fuck out. Jeremy, movie night tonight, Ryan’s choice, if you wanna join.”

“Actually,” Lindsay said slowly. “Mind if I borrow Jeremy tonight? I’ve got something to take care of that could use his help.”

Geoff looked at Jeremy, who had been standing next to where Lindsay sat through the whole conversation, hands clasped in front of him and eyes constantly scanning the room. “Old habits die hard, huh? You playing bodyguard after what happened today?”

“Something like that,” Jeremy answered easily, trying to imbue his voice with a casual air that he wasn’t actually feeling.

Geoff considered him with a critical eye. “Kay. Mind hanging back a second, Mister J? Gotta run something by you.”

Jeremy nodded to Lindsay, who gave them both a little wave and told Jeremy she’d meet him out in the living room.

“What’s up, boss?” Jeremy asked once the door had shut behind Lindsay.

“Nothin’,” Geoff replied. “Just checking in on you.” He walked to the bar along the east wall and poured two fingers of an amber coloured liquor into a tumbler glass. “You okay? You seem kinda freaked.”

Jeremy shook his head. “Yeah, no, I mean, I’m fine,” he assured Geoff. “Just a bit shook up after what happened at the warehouse.”

Geoff’s face twisted in confusion. “What? The asshole insulted Lindsay and she taught him a lesson. And saved us a ton of money in the process, I might add. Nothing you haven’t seen before,” he pointed out.

“Yeah,” Jeremy admitted. “That stuff’s all fine. Just some other shit, it’s messing with my head.” 

Geoff didn’t miss the glance Jeremy made toward the closed door. He nodded. “Right then. You cool to help Lindsay tonight?” 

Jeremy saw the nearly parental concern on Geoff’s face. He wasn’t trying to find something to tease Jeremy about, he was truly concerned and checking in with his newest crew member. 

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m good,” he assured. 

Geoff moved to the door, ushering Jeremy along with him, and they entered the common area.

It was only years of habit that let Jeremy avert his eyes and avoid biting his fist at the sight that greeted them: Lindsay bent in half over the back of the couch, leaning down to talk to Gavin and presenting a perfect view of her ass and those thighs, her tight jeans emphasizing her curvy silhouette.

Lindsay twisted to smile at them as they came in, straightening and handing Gavin back his phone which she had been watching a video clip on.

“Let’s go,” Jeremy suggested, heading to the door.

Lindsay followed, calling “Later!” back to the others.

*****

Jeremy followed behind Lindsay’s unassuming SUV into the parking garage of her own condo building and pulled into one of the visitor spots opposite hers and stepped out of his car.

“Just grabbing something?” Jeremy guessed. It wasn’t unusual for Lindsay to need to change clothes or grab other supplies before they headed out on one of her personal jobs. Jeremy figured she needed him to play lookout or something tonight. Ever the gentleman, he offered, “Want me to come up and give you a hand?”

“Was kinda hoping for more than a hand, if you know what I mean,” Lindsay replied with a wink.

Jeremy followed her to the elevator in silence as she waved her key fob over the sensor that would take them up to her private floor, slowly realizing exactly what Lindsay had asked for his time to do.

Her.

He wasn’t positive, but he was pretty sure that’s the direction they were headed.

“So, uh,” he started as the elevator door slid shut. “I guess I wasn’t completely out of line earlier, then. With the kissing thing.”

Lindsay’s breath huffed out in a chuckle. “Yeah, like I said, I’d been hoping you’d make a move for a while now,” she admitted. 

They had both instinctively turned to face the door, but Jeremy turned toward Lindsay and ran his hand gently down her arm. “Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked quietly.

“Well, I was your boss, for one,” Lindsay pointed out. “Which, like, I didn’t want you to feel like I was pressuring you.” Jeremy opened his mouth to protest, but Lindsay held up her hand, the one which wasn’t currently tangled with his own. “Yes, I know, I wouldn’t have been but its still fucked up power dynamics.”

Jeremy nodded in understanding, waiting for Lindsay to continue.

“And, like...I am in charge, like, all the time,” she admitted. “And sometimes, I just want to not be the one making all the decisions.”

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open, and Jeremy wordlessly pulled Linday out by the hand he was still holding. She followed him, her shoulders dropped and more relaxed than he thought he’d ever seen her.

Jeremy led her further into the apartment until he found a wall that suited his needs, and then moved quickly, using the surprise and his strong arms to push her against a wall and pin her there with his body.

“Yeah,” he murmured against her neck, his voice low. “I can take care of you. Let me take care of you.” He nuzzled the sensitive skin at her shoulder, his beard raising a faint redness on her pale skin.

“It’s not cause you’re main crew now,” Lindsay said, seemingly out of nowhere. Jeremy paused and moved his head to look her in the eyes, his confusion written across his face. “I’m not...I don’t only sleep with the main crew, or anything.”

Jeremy nodded, understanding that the idiot dealer’s words must have struck a chord even if she’d brushed them off, as she had brushed off similar words for years. 

“I mean, I _do_ , but its not an exclusive thing,” Lindsay was beginning to ramble, thrown off by the usually talkative Bostonian’s uncharacteristic silence.

“I _knew_ Michael wasn’t actually bitten by a raccoon,” Jeremy joked, trying to reassure her. It didn’t matter to him who she slept with. What mattered was that she was here in his arms right now, pliant and willing under his hands.

He hadn’t realized he was expressing that particular sentiment out loud until Lindsay groaned at his words, but Jeremy swallowed the sound as he finally kissed her. No quick peck this time, no worry that she would object was holding him back. His tongue probed for entrance until her lips parted for it to sweep past. Jeremy kept his hands at her hips, pinning her to the wall and holding her there firmly enough to hold some of her weight.

Jeremy revelled in the way Lindsay melted against him, tension he couldn’t even tell she carried leaving her in a rush. His head was swimming, after wanting her for so long she was actually here, pliant under his hands. He kissed along her jaw, back to just under her ear and then down her neck, the sounds he was drawing out of her were driving him mad.

“Please,” Lindsay begged after Jeremy had rolled his hips against her, letting her feel his hardening cock still trapped in his pants grinding against her leg. Jeremy chuckled against her skin, enjoying hearing her plead. He rocked against her again to draw another moan from her.

“ _Please_ , Jeremy,” Lindsay was whining now, her nails digging into his shoulders as she clutched at him desperately. 

Wordlessly Jeremy grasped her thighs and pulled Lindsay up against him. She held on and let herself be carried across the room, enjoying the way his muscles moved under her fingers. 

Once he lowered her onto the seat of the couch, Jeremy lifted the hem of her shirt as his hands moved back up her body, pulling it over her head. He leaned down to kiss her as he fell to his knees, holding her face gently between his hands.

Jeremy laid hot kisses down her neck, over her collarbone and was starting to suck those red marks across the swells of her breasts above the cups of her bra. He loved how she responded to him, both her vocalizations and the squirming she was doing, as well as the way her skin flushed where he touched and the way her nipples were hardened and visible even through the clothing.

His hands were shaking when Jeremy went to unbutton Lindsay’s jeans, a consequence of the tension of holding himself back from just ravaging her. That wasn’t what she needed tonight.

Lindsay half-stood to help her her pants off, and reached for the fly of his jeans while he was still standing in front of her. Jeremy watched her loosen the confining pressure of his pants and let out a guttural groan when she caressed his cock through his underwear. He let himself enjoy it for a moment before grasping her shoulders and pushing her back down, laying her down on the couch. 

Jeremy took position between her knees and once again started kissing his way down her body. She squirmed underneath him, arching up into his mouth when his mouth fastened over one of her still-clad breasts.

“Come _on_ Jeremy, please,” she pleaded again, blindly reaching for him, hoping to get ahold of his erection once more. A little return stimulation would do the trick to get things moving for her.

Jeremy dodged her wandering hands and scooted back, deftly reaching under her to boost up her hips and slide her legs over his shoulders. He playfully nipped at the soft skin of her inner thighs, making her reach this time to grab handfuls of his hair.

He hummed in appreciation at the taste of her skin. “I think I’ll take a page from your book,” he said smoothly. “And get things going with a mouth full of Big Red.”

Lindsay’s scream of frustration at his terrible joke was choked off when his tongue touched her centre and sent her reeling.

*****

“We’re inside, you know,” Lindsay complained. “You don’t have to wear those stupid sunglasses.” Her tongue poked out of her mouth in concentration as she twisted the controller in her hands.

“They’re my ass kicking glasses,” Jeremy justified. “And I am going to kick your ass, so they’re totally necessary.” His confidence was all talk though, his concentration as fierce as her own.

Moments later Lindsay threw her arms up in triumph and cheered. “Ha! That’s two more stars than you have, _bitch_ ,” she taunted.

“Oh yeah?” Jeremy was grinning when he threw himself against her, pinning her against the couch once more, his oversized glasses knocked off in the struggle. He wrestled both her wrists into one of his large hands and held them tight, her arms now trapped above her head.

The way she was stretched out beneath him let him see the marks of their evening spent between this couch and her bed. The loose tank top she wore revealed the beard burn across her chest, and he knew there were matching marks on her thighs. His own neck and chest were covered in deep red hickeys, which gave him a little euphoric thrill every time he caught a glimpse of one on his bare chest. 

They’d slept half the morning away, tangled together in Lindsay’s giant bed, and hadn’t bothered to really get dressed or make any effort more than making coffee and turning on the Wii. Now that he had her underneath him again, Jeremy was thinking there was one thing they could shake of their laziness for.

Lindsay’s breathing was just starting to go thready when Jeremy heard the bell of the elevator arriving at their floor and the doors slide open. 

“Hey, Linds, I brought you some doughnuts,” Michael’s voice came from the entryway, along with the sounds of his shoes hitting the floor as he slipped them off.

Jeremy had scrambled off of Lindsay and attempted to straighten his clothes, but Lindsay was still half reclined when Michael came into the room.

“Oh, hey Lil J,” Michael greeted, a box balanced on one hand and a black canvas bag in the other. He set both onto the small piece of empty counter space available and sighed. “God damnit, Lindsay, I don’t come by for three days and it looks like _this_?”

Jeremy, already thrown off by the fact that Michael had access to Lindsay’s apartment when even as her second he’d never been offered a key, asked, “What, do you come clean Lindsay’s apartment or something?”

Michael scoffed and Lindsay chuckled. “Well, god knows she’s not going to do it,” Michael complained, starting to stack items on the counters. Lindsay rose and joined him, giving him a quick kiss before making a half-hearted attempt at helping. 

“Hey, where’s your ring?” Michael asked, grabbing Lindsay’s hand as she reached over him. 

“Oops,” Lindsay said, rushing back to the entryway and returning just as quickly, a subtle gold band on her left ring finger. “We were kind of...distracted, when we came in last night.” She sent Jeremy a wink, which only confused him more.

“Oh yeah? Nice,” Michael said approvingly. Jeremy noticed a grey metal band around his finger as well, one that wasn’t usually there.

“Okay, what the fuck?” Jeremy burst out. “Why are you guys playing happy families? Are you trying to mess with me or something?”

“Oh, you didn’t know?” Lindsay asked, with the shrug of someone who thought this was old news, “Michael and I are married.”

“Married,” Jeremy choked. Suddenly a little worried that the crew’s resident hot head was going to throw him from the window of Lindsay’s apartment, or maybe just kick his ass.

Michael surprised him with a smirk, “Yeah, open marriage and shit. It’s nice, but, uh, not many people get to play with the full team if you’re interested in giving it a go.”

Lindsay perked up at the idea, a coy smile playing on her kiss reddened lips. “It would be a shame not to,” she said, “since we’re all here.”

Jeremy looked from one to the other, sizing them up. “Well, then, I guess it’s game on,” he challenged. “Bring it.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always always always, so many thanks to Best Beta B. My guiding star <3


End file.
